Hartal goes, blockade on

The derailed locomotive of Nasirabad Express almost tipped over close to Halimpur Railway Station in Kishoreganj yesterday after alleged 18-party alliance activists removed the fishplates of the rail line. Photo: Focus Bangla

Although the opposition enforced 60-hour countrywide hartal ended yesterday amid reports of violence across the country, its non-stop nationwide blockade of rail, roads and waterways will continue.
On December 30, the BNP called the indefinite blockade from New Year's Day to resist what it called the one-sided January-5 parliamentary election.  
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of BNP, in a statement yesterday urged party leaders and workers, its allies and the people of the country on behalf of Khaleda Zia to continue the blockade as part of its ongoing “mass movement”.

Braving security fears amid blockade and hartal yesterday, many people poured out onto the city streets while a large number of vehicles plied the thoroughfares in the capital and some other districts.
In Kishoreganj, alleged Jamaat-Shibir men removed fishplates from railway tracks at Bajitpur, snapping rail communication with Dhaka, Mymensingh and Chittagong for seven hours.
The engine of the Chittagong-bound Nasirabad Express from Mymensingh veered off the track soon after the fishplates were removed near Halimpur Railway Station. None was hurt.
Train communication on the route resumed around 2:00pm after a relief train from Akhaura salvaged the locomotive, said Jayanta Kumar Saha, station master of Kishoreganj Railway Station.
Ramzan Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bajitpur Police Station, said Jamaat-Shibir activists might have removed the fishplates.

Firefighters douse a burning truck at Tultulipara on Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj highway last night after alleged Jamaat-Shibir activists torched the tomato-laden vehicle. Photo: Star

Incidents of torching and vandalising many vehicles and attacking the activists of the ruling party and its allies were reported from different districts.
The joint forces, as part of their ongoing drive, arrested at least 220 opposition activists yesterday. Seventy seven arrests were reported in Bogra, 24 in Comilla, 42 in Pabna, 19 in Rangpur, 70 in Jessore and eight in Kaliakoir of Gazipur, report our district correspondents.
Apart from this, a garment worker, who suffered serious injuries in an attack by blockaders at Hathazari in Chittagong on January 4, died at a hospital in the port city yesterday.
The dead, Rashedul Alam Russell, sustained the wounds when stick-wielding blockaders attacked a CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying him in Chariya Madrasa area.
In Lalmonirhat, around 15 men of BNP allegedly attacked Rafiqul Islam, a local leader of the ruling Awami League, and stabbed him indiscriminately on Lalmonirhat-Kurigram road at Burir Bazar.
Police suspect that Rafiqul was attacked as he was appointed a polling agent at a local polling centre where the voting could not be held during Sunday's polls. He was admitted to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital.    
In Chapainawabganj, activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir attacked a joint procession of pro-AL and pro-Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal supporters at Shaheed Satu Hall market area in the town.
The attack left Mamunur Rashid Moon, 18, a first year student of HSC level in Chapainawabganj Govt College, injured.
Shibir men attacked the procession with sticks and sharp weapons and hurled brick chips and around 10 homemade bombs targeting the supporters. Local police rushed to the spot and fired 25 bullets to bring the situation under control.
Later, BCL men smashed the glasses of Radhuni Hotel with brick chips. Acting Jamaat ameer of the district Latifur Rahman owns the hotel.
Five people were injured, including a woman, by rubber bullet pellets during a clash between pickets and police at Fulgazi of Feni yesterday.
The clash ensued as police opened fire on some BNP and pro-BNP Chhatra Dal activists who vandalised four battery-run three-wheelers. Police chased the vandals and they pelted police with brickbats.
In Tangail, five leaders and activists of the local wing of the BNP were injured when police charged batons on a BNP procession in the town. Some party activists from the procession tried to vandalise a truck.
At least 20 people were injured in a series of clashes between activists of the BNP and AL at Ghosherhat in Chandpur.
The clash ensued when AL activists from a procession tore down posters and banners of local BNP leaders. During the clash, a motorcycle was torched and several vehicles, an AL office and some shops were vandalised.  
Besides, activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Islamic University unit, torched a bus on the university campus and exploded six handmade bombs while Jamaat-Shibir activists torched two trucks at Godaghata and vandalised a truck at Ramchandrapur in Satkhira Sadar upazila yesterday.